The film follows Star Lane , a young girl from a troubled home, who runs away with a traveling sales crew who drive across the American Midwest selling magazine subscriptions door to door. Principal photography began in May with filming taking place in several states across America. It is Arnold's first film to be set and filmed outside of the United Kingdom. The performances of LaBeouf and Keough also received critical praise. The film was released in the U. Star is living in Muskogee , Oklahoma.
She lives a painful life, caring for two children that aren't hers and living with their sexually abusive father, Nathan. While trying to hitchhike home one day, she spies a van full of young people and makes eye contact with Jake, one of the boys in the group. Star follows them to a local Kmart and sees Jake dance to " We Found Love " on top of the registers before being forced out of the store. Star returns Jake's phone, as it had fallen out of his pocket, and he offers her a job as part of their magazine sales crew, telling her to come with him to Kansas City.
Star declines but Jake nevertheless tells her to meet them in the parking lot of the local Motel 6 the next morning. Packing her belongings while Nathan is in another room, Star secretly escapes and takes the children to the club where their stepmother Misty dances.
Star confronts Misty and tells her it's her turn to care for the kids, and though Misty refuses, Star runs away from the club to the motel and sleeps outside the crew's van until morning. Star is interviewed by the crew's leader, Krystal, who hires her after she establishes that Star is a legal person, that no one will miss her, and that she promises to work hard.
In the car on the way to Kansas, Star meets the other members of the crew. When they get there, they disperse into groups of two. Since Star is new, she is paired with Jake, the veteran of the group. Star finds it difficult to sell as Jake lies to a potential customer in order to make money. Star also distracts Jake by flirting with and eventually kissing him. That night, Krystal calls Star in and tells her that Jake has posted his lowest sales ever.
